Jennifer McCormick taps Terry Goodin as running mate, despite conservative voting history – IndyStar
Indiana Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick has endorsed Terry Goodin, a former state representative from southern Indiana who has represented a dwindling conservative wing of the Indiana Democratic Party, as her running mate in the fall.
At a news conference Thursday, Goodin pitched a focus on helping small towns and rural communities, improving education outcomes and access to union jobs, and restoring access to reproductive freedoms for women.
On that last point, Goodin addressed head-on the criticisms lobbed at him on social media among other Democrats as he emerged as McCormick’s choice. Goodin has previously described himself as “pro-life,” and voted for a ban on same sex marriage in 2011.
More:McCormick taps Terry Goodin as running mate, despite conservative voting history
But Thursday, he called the Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturning Roe v. Wade an “all-out assault” on women’s freedoms and said explicitly he believes women have the right to choose.
And he addressed that 2011 vote, calling it “wrong and misguided.”
“At that time I did not realize with that vote, I had totally dehumanized, demeaned and hurt thousands of Hoosiers,” Goodin said. “I am person enough to stand here and say I am sorry I caused that hurt.”
“Love is love, and if two people want to affirm that love with marriage, they should have the right to do so in the great state of Indiana,” he said.
Delegates will have to officially vote on the nomination at the state party's convention next month, but typically they respect the wishes of the gubernatorial candidate. Nothing is guaranteed, though. Last weekend, Indiana Republicans at the party's state convention selected self-described Christian Nationalist pastor Micah Beckwith as U.S. Sen. Mike Braun's running mate, rejecting Braun's endorsed choice of state Rep. Julie McGuire.
Democrats earlier this week said they viewed Beckwith's choice as an opportunity for their party heading into November. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Indiana since 2012. But Indiana Republican Party spokesman Griffin Reid in a statement Thursday said McCormick's pick shows she is “a radical Biden ally.”
More:Micah Beckwith is running as Braun's No. 2. Will that help Democrats in November?
“After facing multiple rejections from her own Democrat party friends, she turned to her old pal Joe Biden to pluck a member of his administration to plug in as her running mate,” Reid said in the statement. “She won't rest until she brings Biden's policies to Hoosier door steps! These radical, liberal ideas have no place in Indiana, which is still very much Trump country.”
Goodin served 20 years in the Indiana House, representing rural District 66 near Louisville and briefly serving a stint as House Minority Leader starting in 2017. He lost the 2020 general election to Republican Zach Payne.
Goodin also served as superintendent at Crothersville Community Schools for 24 years. These days, he's the state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development branch.
McCormick, a former Republican herself, faces Republican Sen. Mike Braun and Libertarian Donald Rainwater on the November ballot.
Many Democrats on social media, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, reacted skeptically to McCormick's choice at first, referencing a Politico profile of Goodin from 2018 that described him as an “anti-abortion, pro-gun, self-described ‘Bible-poundin’, aisle-runnin’ Pentecostal.”
One skeptic was former Indianapolis mayoral candidate Clif Marsiglio, who recently filed with the state party to run for lieutenant governor but had said he'd be willing to step aside if the right candidate emerges.
“It feels like we got a Republican,” he said before Goodin's appearance Thursday.
Marsiglio is still considering whether he should keep his name in the ring.
“I do believe people can change,” he said in a text message following the press conference.
Bobby Kern, a perennial candidate for multiple public offices in Indianapolis over the years, also filed to run and plans to be at the convention in July. State Sen. J.D. Ford, who represents portions of Marion, Boone and Hamilton counties, told IndyStar Thursday he is also considering a convention run, but has not officially made a decision.
“I think the world of Jennifer and I've gotten to know Terry, but I just don't think that he brings that pizazz to the ticket,” Ford said. “We need to have Marion County and Boone County in Hamilton County involved in this equation, to excite our base and to get people excited to come out and vote.”
Asked about the apparent divisions within the party over her selection of a relatively conservative Democrat, McCormick said she's confident in their ability to unify.
“We are a huge tent. And in that big tent comes a lot of ideas and a lot of opinions and a lot of big hearts and a lot of big personalities,” she said. “And just like a family, we will come together because that's what we do. So I know people are trying to find that divisive streak, but I will tell you, we will come together we will be strong, and we're going to win.”
While Goodin was viewed as one of the more socially conservative Democratic lawmakers during his time in office, his record was mixed.
For example, in 2019 Goodin voted in line with Republicans in favor of then House Bill 1211, which banned “dismemberment abortions” and classified the procedures as Level 5 felonies unless medically necessary. But in 2016, he voted against final approval of House Bill 1337, which prohibited women from having an abortion based on characteristics of the fetus, such as race, national origin, sex or disability.
During Goodin’s 20-year legislative career he frequently signed onto bills supporting Indiana schools, including those that provided scholarships and stipends to teachers.
He also worked with Republicans on bills that may not necessarily align with Democratic priorities for the party in 2024. In 2014, Goodin was the only Democrat to sign onto a bill that focused on government reduction and was mostly led by House Republicans including former controversial state Rep. Jud McMillin, now-House Speaker Todd Huston and now-state Sen. Eric Koch.
In 2017, Goodin successfully carried a bill that enabled law enforcement officers with 20-plus years of service to qualify for a lifetime license to carry a handgun in Indiana and exempted those individuals from paying fees for those licenses. In 2016, Goodin authored a bill, which never made it past its introduction in the House, that would have created additional prison time for anyone who uses a firearm to commit a felony or shoot a police officer.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.